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David Libman, 22, and Shachar Dvir-Zeliger, 27, are two of the men suspected of belonging to a Jewish terror cell.
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08/24
Jerusalem Post |
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08/24
Haaretz |
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| By Ellis Shuman August 24, 2003 |
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Nine Israelis have been arrested by the Shin Bet security service in the past few weeks on suspicion of belonging to a Jewish terror cell that has perpetrated terror attacks against Palestinians. Nine Palestinians have been killed since April 2001 and until now, security forces have been unable to determine who was behind the attacks.
On Friday, IDF military police arrested Nahal Haredi soldier Yehoriv Meguri, 21, on suspicion of being involved in the alleged cell's activities. The army had been searching for Meguri for two days. The suspicions attributed to him have been banned for publication.
Also on Friday, the remand of terror cell suspect Shachar Dvir-Zeliger, 27, from Adei-Ad was extended by six days. According to information released by Jerusalem's Magistrate's Court for publication, Dvir-Zeliger is suspected of weapons violations, attempted murder, and planning and carrying out terrorist attacks against Arabs that took place in recent years.
Last month, police arrested Hebron resident Yitzhak Pass and his brother-in-law Matityahu Shvu on suspicion of "security crimes" against Palestinians. Pass, whose ten month-old daughter Shalhevet was murdered by a Palestinian sniper in Hebron, and Shvu refused to cooperate with their interrogators. In the end the two men were indicted only on the more minor crime of possessing stolen explosives. Security officials believed that when arrested, Pass and Shvu were on their way to perpetrate a terror bombing against a Palestinian target.
The Shin Bet and Israel Police continued to investigate the possibility that others were involved with the plans of Pass and Shvu and made additional arrests. According to media reports, a "dramatic" development in the case came after Dvir-Zeliger broke down under questioning. Dvir-Zeliger held the explosives for Pass and Shvu for over half a year, Maariv reported. Dvir-Zeliger's testimony led to the arrest of other members of the alleged cell.
The nine Israelis arrested by police so far are:
 Yitzhak Pass, 27, from Hebron. Indicted on possession of stolen explosives.
Matityahu Shvu, 25, from Havat Maoz. Indicted on possession of stolen explosives.
Shachar Dvir-Zeliger, 27, from Adei-Ad. Suspected of weapons violations, attempted murder and planning and carrying out terror attacks against Palestinians.
Ronen Arousi, 25, from Givat Ronen.
Sela Tur, 22, from Kiryat Arba.
Yisachar Peretz, 30, from Kiryat Arba.
David Libman, 22, from Yitzhar.
Tzuriel Amior, 24, from Adei-Ad. Was previously arrested in connection to the Bat-Ayin cell suspected of planning to bomb an east Jerusalem school.
Yehoriv Meguri, 21, from Kfar Tapuach.
A senior security official told Maariv that "if all the suspicions against the men turn out to be correct, this would be the most serious affair since the first Jewish underground was active in the 1980s." In 1984, police and the Shin Bet uncovered an organization of at least 25 Jews that came to be known as the Jewish Underground. The group assassinated Arab mayors and reportedly planned to blow up the Muslim mosques on the Temple Mount.
Security officials were careful not to label the recent arrests of nine Israelis as a second Jewish "underground." More arrests are expected in the case, media reports indicated.
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